Semiconductors are widely used in most of electronic devices today. Some examples of semiconductor structures include diodes, light emitting diodes, and solar cells. Solar cells are well known devices for converting solar radiation to electrical energy. They can be fabricated on a semiconductor wafer using semiconductor processing technology. A solar cell includes P-type and N-type diffusion regions. Solar radiation impinging on the solar cell creates electrons and holes that migrate to the diffusion regions, thereby creating voltage differentials between the diffusion regions. In a backside contact solar cell, both the diffusion regions and the metal contact fingers coupled to them are on the backside of the solar cell. The contact regions and contact fingers allow an external electrical circuit to be coupled to and be powered by the solar cell.
In some instances, the electrical circuit for solar modules may be divided between the solar cell components and the solar module components. For example, a portion of the electrical circuit may reside at the solar cell component level. That portion may be referred to as the M1 layer. Another portion of the electrical circuit may reside at the module component level and may be referred to as the M2 layer. However, implementation of an M2 layer can be cost prohibitive.